Family hand puppet

ABSTRACT

A family hand puppet. A substantially solid body is provided in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. A set of separate attachments is also provided, and a fastening mechanism such as hook and loop fasteners or adhesive tape releasably connects the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body, forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part application of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/533,487 for FAMILY HAND PUPPET, filed Aug. 6,2019 and hereby incorporates the disclosure thereof in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to puppets and gloves and, more particularly, toa puppet having a solid or hollow body and fingers extending therefrom,the distal end of each finger being adapted to receive a releasableattachment, each having a separate image.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmentaldisorder that begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person'slife. It affects how a person acts and interacts with others,communicates, and learns.

ASD is four times more common in males than females, ASD affectsapproximately 1 in 68 children, 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls, and itis found throughout the world and amongst all racial, ethnic, andsocioeconomic backgrounds. ASD runs in families, but the level ofimpairment can vary significantly between family members. A family thathas a child with ASD has a 3% chance that a second child will also haveASD.

The causes of ASD are not known. Research suggests that both genes andenvironment play important roles, There is currently no one standardtreatment for ASD. However, starting children early can lead to betterresults, Treatments can include behavior and communication therapies,skills training, and medicines to control symptoms.

Autism manifests itself with varying decrees of severity. It is called a“spectrum” disorder because people with ASD can have a range ofsymptoms, some people having problems communicating (e.g., the abilityto use language to express one's needs) or looking a speaker in the eyewhen he talks to them. They may have an inability to engage in socialinteraction. They may also have restricted range of interests orrepetitive behaviors. They may spend time putting things in order, orthey may say the same sentence again and again. Skill deficits andchallenges associated with ASD vary greatly from child to child. No twochildren with autism are the same. Each has his or her own individualstrengths and challenges associated with autism.

A person can be mildly, moderately, or severely autistic. Many peoplealso have additional associated symptoms such as intellectual orlanguage impairments. The three levels of autism are currently definedas:

Level 3: “Requiring Very Substantial Support”

Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skillscause severe impairments in functioning, very limited initiation ofsocial interactions, and minimal response to social overtures fromothers. Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping withchange, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere withfunctioning in all spheres. These people may exhibit great distress anddifficulty changing focus or action.

Level 2: “Requiring Substantial Support”

Level 3 autism is indicated by marked deficits in verbal and nonverbalsocial communication skills; social impairments apparent even withsupports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; andreduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others.Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or otherrestricted and/or repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to beobvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in avariety of contexts.

Level 1: “Requiring Support”

Without supports in place, deficits in social communication causenoticeable impairments. These people may have difficulty initiatingsocial interactions and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessfulresponses to social overtures of others. They may appear to havedecreased interest in social interactions. Inflexibility of behaviorcauses significant interference with functioning in one or morecontexts. The may have difficulty switching between activities, andproblems organizing and planning.

Many autistic children find words overwhelming and confusing. Thepresent invention reflects the discovery that certain autistic childrenrespond better to physical rather than oral communication. Certainsensory approaches, such as touch and movement, smell, taste, texture,and sight or sounds can be beneficial. The present invention helpsautistic children communicate by using a family hand puppet tofacilitate communications between children and their caregivers.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,176 issued to Benjamin, et al. for CHILD'S SIZEDDISPOSABLE ARTICLE on Feb. 23, 2010, describes a disposable child sizedarticle that releasably carries a benefit composition. The benefitcomposition is carried by a nonwoven sheet member that also has a childgraphic disposed thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,240 issued to Thomas for HAND PUPPET WITH DETACHABLEFACIAL ELEMENTS on Mar. 12, 1985, describes a hand puppet in which aplurality of different facial components can be removably attached to ahead portion to produce different characters, such as monsters, funnylooking characters, science fiction characters, etc. The hand puppet hasa relatively rigid head portion, and the facial components can beattached anywhere on the head portion, and in any orientation relativeto the head portion. A sleeve depends from the head portion, and has anopening at its distal end, and into which an operator's hand can beinserted to support the puppet. The sleeve is preferably formed offabric which depicts an outer garment for the puppet and the sleeve hasa pocket for storing the detachable facial components.

U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2005/0125923 on an applicationfiled by Benjamin, et al. for CHILD'S AROMATHERAPY CLEANING IMPLEMENTpublished on Jun. 16, 2005 discloses a disposable child sized cleaningimplement that releasably carries a personal care composition whichcomprises an aromatherapy adjuvant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a familyhand puppet. A substantially solid body is provided in the shape of ahuman hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separatefingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. A set ofseparate attachments is also provided, and a fastening mechanism such ashook and loop fasteners or adhesive tape releasably connects the set ofseparate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. Inanother embodiment, the puppet is a glove (i.e., covering for the handhaving separate sections for each finger) with a hollow body forming aglove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

Objects and advantages of the present invention are more readilyapparent with reference to the following detailed description and theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained byreference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunctionwith the subsequent detailed description, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front, schematic view of a family hand puppet in accordancewith the present invention; and

FIG. 2 comprises front and rear schematic views of attachments for usewith the family hand puppet depicted in FIG. 1.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the following detailed description contains specific detailsfor the purposes of illustration, those of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that variations and alterations to the following detailsare within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplaryembodiments of the invention described below are set forth without anyloss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, theclaimed invention.

A family hand puppet is provided. A substantially solid body having aflexible outer covering in the shape of a human hand has a main portionand a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each fingerhaving a distal end. Separate attachments are provided so the set ofseparate attachments are attached to corresponding distal ends of thefingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body forming aglove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front, schematic view of afamily hand puppet 10 in accordance with the present invention. Handpuppet 10 having a flexible outer covering is fabricated of woven fabricor plush fabric in the preferred embodiment, but other flexiblematerials, including but not limited to leather, plastic, or paper canbe used without departing from the scope of the invention.

Extending from a main portion 10′ of hand puppet 10 are five fingers 12,each having a distal end or tip 14 at a location most remote from mainportion 10′. Disposed on the surface of each fingertip 14, secured bymeans well known in the art, is a fastening mechanism 16 for attachingan article described hereinbelow. Fastening mechanism 16 is preferably aportion of a hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro® material), butadhesive tape, rubber cement, magnets, snaps, or any other suitablefastening device or material can be used.

Main portion 10′ and fingers 12 can be solid or filled with conventionalmaterial such as cotton, wool, kapok fibers, polyester, or plasticpellets from fingertips 14 to a lower portion 18 of hand puppet 10. In asecond embodiment, main portion 10′ and fingers 12 can be substantiallyhollow to allow for a user to insert his or her hand through lowerportion 18 and into fingers 12 to provide articulation thereof. Thus,the invention can be used as a stuffed toy in one embodiment or as awearable glove in another embodiment.

Referring now also to FIG. 2, front schematic views of a set ofattachments 20 a-20 g are shown for use with family hand puppet 10depicted in FIG. 1. Corresponding rear schematic views of the set ofattachments are depicted as reference numerals 20 a′-20 g′,respectively. Attached by means well known in the art to the rearsurface of attachments 20 a′-20 g′ are fastening mechanisms thatcorrespond to fastening mechanisms 16 disposed at fingertips 14 (FIG. 1)of hand puppet 10. That is, when the hook portion of a hook and loopfastener is disposed on a fingertip 14, a loop portion of a hook andloop fastener is part of the reverse side of a corresponding attachment20 a′-20 g′, and vice versa.

Attachments 20 a-20 g each have a photographic or graphic depiction ofhuman heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters;fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables;colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.

Moreover, attachments 20 a-20 g can include mechanical or electronicmeans for generating sounds and/or may include odiferous material,including but not limited to lavender extract or aromatic oils.Attachments 20 a-20 g can also be material with raised features toprovide texture or to represent letters and/or numbers in braille.

All references throughout this application, for example patent documentsincluding issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent applicationpublications; and non-patent literature documents or other sourcematerial; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties, as though individually incorporated by reference, to theextent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with thedisclosure in this application (for example, a reference that ispartially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for thepartially inconsistent portion of the reference).

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention inthe use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents ofthe features shown and described or portions thereof, but it isrecognized that various modifications are possible within the scope ofthe invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although thepresent invention has been specifically disclosed by preferredembodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modificationand variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to bythose skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations areconsidered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by theappended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examplesof useful embodiments of the present invention and it will be apparentto one skilled in the art that the present invention may be carried outusing a great number of variations of the devices, device components,and method steps set forth in the present description. As will beobvious to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for thepresent methods can include a great number of optional composition andprocessing elements and steps.

All patents and publications mentioned in the specification areindicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to whichthe invention pertains. References cited herein are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety to indicate the state of the art asof their publication or filing date and it is intended that thisinformation can be employed herein, if needed, to exclude specificembodiments that are in the prior art. For example, when compositions ofmatter are claimed, it should be understood that compounds known andavailable in the art prior to Applicant's invention, including compoundsfor which an enabling disclosure is provided in the references citedherein, are not intended to be included in any composition of matterclaims herein.

As used herein, “comprising” is synonymous with “including,”“containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended anddoes not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As usedherein, “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient notspecified in the claim element. As used herein, “consisting essentiallyof” does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affectthe basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instanceherein any of the terms “comprising”, “consisting essentially of,” and“consisting of” may be replaced with either of the other two terms. Theinvention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced inthe absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations whichis not specifically disclosed herein.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all art-knownfunctional equivalents, of any materials and methods disclosed hereinare intended to be included in this invention. The terms and expressionswhich have been employed are used as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms andexpressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, but it is recognized that variousmodifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention hasbeen specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optionalfeatures, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosedmay be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that suchmodifications and variations are considered to be within the scope ofthis invention as defined by the appended claims.

Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operatingrequirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in theart, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen forpurposes of disclosure and covers all changes and modifications which donot constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected byLetters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims. What isclaimed is:
 1. A family hand puppet comprising: a) a substantially solidbody in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and aplurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having adistal end; b) a set of separate attachments; and c) means forreleasably connecting the set of separate attachments to correspondingdistal ends of the fingers.
 2. The family hand puppet in accordance withclaim 1, wherein the means for releasably connecting the set of separateattachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers is attached toeach of the set of separate attachments and comprises at least one of aset of fastening devices consisting of: hook and loop fasteners;adhesive tape; rubber cement; magnets; and snaps.
 3. The family handpuppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the set of separateattachments comprises a separate image.
 4. The family hand puppet inaccordance with claim 3, wherein the separate images are chosen from aset of images consisting of: photographs; and graphic images.
 5. Thefamily hand puppet in accordance with claim 4, wherein the photographsand graphic images are chosen from a set of images consisting of:depictions of human heads representative of members of a family; cartooncharacters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits;vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edibleitems.
 6. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein theset of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds. 7.The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set ofseparate attachments comprises odiferous material.
 8. The family handpuppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separateattachments comprises raised indicia.
 9. The family hand puppet inaccordance with claim 8, wherein the raised indicia represent brailleletters.
 10. A hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a humanhand inserted therein, comprising: a) a substantially hollow body in theshape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality ofseparate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end;b) a set of separate attachments; and c) means for releasably connectingthe set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of thefingers.
 11. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a humanhand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the means forreleasably connecting the set of separate attachments to correspondingdistal ends of the fingers is attached to each of the set of separateattachments and comprises at least one of a set of fastening devicesconsisting of: hook and loop fasteners; adhesive tape; rubber cement;magnets; and snaps.
 12. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulationby a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, whereineach of the set of separate attachments comprises a separate image. 13.The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human handinserted therein in accordance with claim 12, wherein the separateimages are chosen from a set of images consisting of: photographs; andgraphic images.
 14. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation bya human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 13, wherein thephotographs and graphic images are chosen from a set of imagesconsisting of: depictions of human heads representative of members of afamily; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters;animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers;and edible items.
 15. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulationby a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, whereinthe set of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds.16. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human handinserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set ofseparate attachments comprises odiferous material.
 17. The hand puppetforming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein inaccordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachmentscomprises raised indicia.
 18. The hand puppet forming a glove forarticulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim17, wherein the raised indicia represent braille letters.